Defenders take district crown

Lake Worth Christian tops Trinity

February 3, 2008|By Stacy Hicklin Staff Writer

WEST PALM BEACH — It wasn't until the ball was safely in the hands of senior Jamie Van Den Berg with three seconds remaining in the game that Lake Worth Christian was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Van Den Berg's offensive rebound eliminated any chance of an upset from rival Trinity Christian. Lake Worth Christian held on to win 50-49 for its third consecutive District 13-1A tournament championship Saturday night in front of a packed house at Berean Christian.

"We've been through so many big games that there was no way anyone was going to take that ball from me," Van Den Berg said.

The Defenders (16-10) led 39-29 with 6.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but Trinity Christian (17-5) went on a 9-0 run to pull within 39-38 with 6:15 to go.

Sophomore guard Jamierra Faulkner jump-started the run with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter. In a little more than four minutes Faulkner scored all 11 of her points.

"They had that moment where they had to lay it all on the line and we were a little winded," Lake Worth Christian's Antishia Wright said. "They came at us with lots of energy. I don't think we anticipated the game would be this close."

After the Warriors' run, Wright scored eight of her team's next 10 points. Her baskets came off drives into traffic that drew contact from multiple defenders.

The lead changed four times in the final five minutes, but the Defenders seemed to have an answer for every Warriors move. Trinity Christian was never able to take more than a one-point lead.

"I think we lost the game on the free-throw line and made some youthful mistakes," Trinity Christian coach Fred Erdman said. "And Lake Worth Christian made the plays down the stretch."

The Warriors made only 8 of 18 free-throw attempts, while the Defenders were 12 of 17.